The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 21

< Chapter 21 >

“Goodness, do more than thirty children really spend their winters in a place like this?”

Mary said, looking around the orphanage with a sorrowful expression. 

Even Irina, who was usually indifferent to everything, seemed a bit surprised by the environment she was seeing for the first time, judging by the furrow in her brow.

And no wonder; Winterbrook Orphanage was part of an old poorhouse and had a very shabby appearance, hastily constructed. Despite being indoors, the cold seeped in from the walls, making it feel like a chilly cellar, and even the logs, which would have been plentiful on a Christmas Eve, were nothing more than a stack of dry ones.

“Unfortunately, there are many worse places than this. Younger children don’t even make it past influenza or fever; they die in the orphanages.”

Mabel also replied awkwardly, thinking of the orphanages she had been in.

‘It’s eerily similar to the orphanage I grew up in. During winters, we had to warm each other’s feet even indoors to prevent frostbite. It’s been quite some time, but unfortunately, things like this haven’t changed.’

Today’s volunteers included Irina, Julia, Mary, and Mabel from Summerhill, as well as three male students from the London School of Economics, including Theo, the organizer.

“Welcome, ladies. I’m Theodore Amide. Please, call me Theo. And these are my friends, Andrew Woolf, Robert Parsons, and George O’Connor. Gentlemen, remember Mary and Irina from last time? On this side, we have Julia Gilman, Robert’s fiancée, and Mabel Willis.”

Theo, with his radiant skin and large, dark eyes, cheerfully introduced the two groups.

Following his lead, Mabel greeted Andrew Woolf, with his slicked-back blond hair, Robert, Julia’s fiancé whom she knew well, and George O’Connor, with his deep brown hair and gruff expression, who had escorted Irina at the previous festival.

“The orphanage director said it’s almost time for a reading hour. When the bell rings, volunteers pair up with age-appropriate children, and each group of two reads to them. Everyone brought a book they’d like to read, right?”

Theo efficiently paired up the volunteers.

Julia took charge of the youngest babies’ room with her fiancé Robert, Mary took the toddlers’ group with Theo, and Irina took the slightly older children’s group with George.

Before long, Andrew approached Mabel.

“I see we have the group with the oldest children.”

His expression, framed by a luxurious wool vest, was stern and solemn.

“That’s fortunate. It seems to be the age group that will find the book I brought quite interesting.”

Mabel replied cheerfully, holding up the bundle of books she had brought. However, unlike Mabel’s bright demeanor, Andrew furrowed his brow as if annoyed by the stray hairs blowing in the wind, and he smoothed them back.

“But since it’s Christmas Eve, it might be best to read a story from the Bible.”

“Oh…”

Mabel hesitated. In the orphanage she had grown up in, whenever children misbehaved, they were made to memorize passages from the Bible. It was likely that in Winterbrook Orphanage, where conditions didn’t seem much different, the Bible served as a form of punishment for the children.

“I saw many Bibles in the auditorium earlier. So, how about we read them stories they don’t usually get to hear? Something like ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.'”

Mabel cautiously suggested again, showing the book she had brought, but Andrew seemed preoccupied with checking if his neatly combed hair was reflected properly in the orphanage’s glass windows.

“Anyway, since it’s about the children, women might have a better understanding. I don’t mind what we read.”

Andrew replied, nonchalantly pursing his lips. Mabel felt frustrated by his uncooperative attitude, but fortunately, the bell rang soon, signaling the start of reading time.

As the volunteers quickly dispersed to their assigned places while discussing stories, Mabel, holding the storybook, set out to find the children with the hesitant Andrew.

Since the visitors to the orphanage were mostly elderly donors or clergy members who came twice a year for the children’s masses, the children seemed to easily warm up to the college student volunteers organized by Theo.

Strangely, even Irina, who claimed to dislike children, was surprisingly popular among them. No matter how brusquely she acted, the children followed her like ducklings in a row.

As a result, Irina eventually joined the children, pretending to be defeated, and spent time with them, sharing the snacks George O’Connor had brought.

Meanwhile, Julia, who had read books to the babies and played with simple dolls, magically managed to put the babies to sleep just in time for naptime, earning the envy of the orphanage’s childcare teachers.

Mary and Theo, pretending not to know who the younger children were, were out of breath from playing hide-and-seek with the children.

Similarly, Mabel, who had spent time with the children downstairs, came upstairs again as it was almost time to leave, to take another look around the orphanage.

The classroom where she had read to the children earlier looked eerily similar to the orphanage she had grown up in.

Mabel was tidying up the bundle of books she had brought, holding a mug of cocoa in one hand when she heard a strange noise.

Rustle.

‘What’s that sound? Who could it be? The children must be downstairs having cocoa…’

Thanks to George O’Connor, the son of a businessman who ran a large biscuit company in England, who had brought snacks and cocoa powder for the children, it was clear that the children who had finished reading were downstairs enjoying a snack party.

Who could be left here, sneaking snacks that are rarely seen in the orphanage?

Mabel listened carefully again.

“A…choo!

‘A sneeze?’

From the direction where the sound had come, it seemed like someone was in the adjacent classroom. Mabel cautiously tapped on the door of the adjoining room.

Knock, knock.

To her surprise, a small boy with rosy cheeks swiftly opened the latch. He looked to be about seven years old. Mabel asked, with a surprised look in her eyes.

“Oh my, why are you here alone? Why aren’t you downstairs with the other children?”

“I’m being punished.”

The boy murmured as he held onto the door handle. A chill seeped through the crack in the door and passed over Mabel.

“They said if you’re late for worship, you can’t have reading time or snack time.”

The boy said with a resigned tone, bowing his head. Mabel sighed.

Due to the high demand compared to supply, orphanages often resorted to harsh discipline, such as excessive punishment, to manage a large number of children at once.

‘Just for a small mistake, how lonely it must be not to play with other friends or enjoy the cocoa George brought on Christmas Eve.’

Come to think of it, when she walked around the classroom reading books earlier, she had felt the sound of a child’s footsteps following her from behind the thin walls.

“Would you like some warm cocoa?”

Mabel smiled and offered the cocoa mug she had been holding to the boy. However, the boy only looked at Mabel with a frightened expression.

“Well, I know my actions are against the rules… but it’s Christmas Eve. If you’re afraid of the director seeing us, we don’t have to open the door completely.”

Mabel replied, looking at the boy with a stuffy nose. The boy cautiously took the cocoa mug from Mabel’s gesture. For a moment, the boy’s hand felt as cold as ice, evoking sympathy in Mabel’s eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, my dear lady, my name is Anton. Anton Gray.”

With a noticeably brighter look in his eyes after taking a sip of the sweet flavor, the boy began introducing himself as if reciting, as he had learned in the orphanage.

“I am an orphan. Thanks to the generosity of the modest donors at Winterbrook Orphanage, I’m living here. Thanks to them, even though I’m young, I can mend nets or do mending quickly.”

The boy quickly finished his words and buried his face in the cocoa mug.

Mabel felt a pang of discomfort at Anton’s introduction. She remembered making similar introductions as she looked up at the patrons and others who had come to choose a child for a laborer or maid.

“I see, Anton. It’s a lovely name. Were you the one listening to stories behind the wall earlier?”

Mabel asked Anton with a cheerful tone, hiding her sympathetic expression.

“Yes, I love listening to stories. Actually, I prefer listening and reading stories more than mending nets or doing mending. Oh, of course, Winterbrook is a compassionate place that teaches us, lower-class children like me, how to be useful workers rather than writing. But…”

Anton glanced around worriedly, as if afraid Mabel would sell him to the orphanage director.

‘He too must have been told countless times from a young age that he should have dreams worthy of his status as an orphan…….’

Mabel looked into Anton’s pensive eyes and felt sorry for him. Part of her wondered if the words she’d spoken in her argument with William a few days ago were also due to the education she’d received from a young age.

“Do you know how to read then?”

After confirming that the boy had finished his cocoa, Mabel affectionately asked, locking eyes with him. Anton hesitated for a moment, as if contemplating whether to answer truthfully, then shyly nodded.

“Great. Wait here for a moment.”

Mabel went to the adjacent classroom to retrieve the bundle of storybooks she had brought and quickly returned to the boy.

“Anton, I’m giving you this book as a gift. That way, you can read whenever you want.”

Mabel handed the bundle of books to the boy without hesitation. The boy seemed pleasantly surprised by the unexpected luck.

“For me? All these books?”

“Of course. Even if you’re not alone in solitary confinement, having a book when you feel lonely makes you feel like you’re not alone.”

It was a statement born from her own experience. The young boy couldn’t contain his excitement at receiving a gift for the first time and bounced on his feet, unable to suppress his joy.

“So reading or writing isn’t useless, Anton. If there’s something you want to do, don’t give up no matter what anyone says.”

Mabel said affectionately, looking at the joyful Anton. Then, Anton finally opened the door wide and dashed out, hugging Mabel.

“Of course, miss! My own book for the first time! Thank you!”

Mabel was momentarily surprised but soon smiled warmly, patting the little boy’s back affectionately. However, she soon realized one ominous fact.

“Goodness, Anton. Your body feels like a furnace!”